James Gurney

This daily weblog by Dinotopia creator James Gurney is for illustrators, plein-air painters, sketchers, comic artists, animators, art students, and writers. You'll find practical studio tips, insights into the making of the Dinotopia books, and first-hand reports from art schools and museums.

CG Art

Contact

or by email:gurneyjourney (at) gmail.comSorry, I can't give personal art advice or portfolio reviews. If you can, it's best to ask art questions in the blog comments.

Permissions

All images and text are copyright 2015 James Gurney and/or their respective owners. Dinotopia is a registered trademark of James Gurney. For use of text or images in traditional print media or for any commercial licensing rights, please email me for permission.

However, you can quote images or text without asking permission on your educational or non-commercial blog, website, or Facebook page as long as you give me credit and provide a link back. Students and teachers can also quote images or text for their non-commercial school activity. It's also OK to do an artistic copy of my paintings as a study exercise without asking permission.

• How did I learn art before the internet?
• The importance of working from memory
• How to paint moving subjects
• How many hours per day should a young artist draw?
• Do you think about brushstrokes when you're painting?
• What's the most valuable kind of critique?
• How Ray Harryhausen inspired me.
• Is computer technology good for artists?
• What are the benefits of gouache?
• What advice would you give your 20-year-old self?

Tuesday, August 29, 2017

A museum exhibit on imaginative illustration is coming up next month in Connecticut. I'm planning to attend the reception on September 22 (scroll through to the bottom). Here's more info from their press release.

The Stamford Museum & Nature Center’s Fall Exhibition, Illustrations of Imaginative Literature: The Korshak Collection, will be on display in the Stamford Museum Galleries from September 23 through October 29, 2017

Long before the era of the Syfy channel, Xbox video games, and other high-tech graphic media, fans of science fiction and fantasy stories read novels and magazines illustrated by world renowned artists. In the Korshak Collection, those alien landscapes, mystical creatures, and fantastical characters come alive. Featuring works by both American and European artists that span more than a century, the vivid and detailed illustrations animate totally imagined worlds, creatures, and adventures.

The illustrations are from the private collection of Stephen and Alma Korshak. Stephen’s father, Erle Korshak, was the publisher of a pioneering science fiction book company, Shasta Publishers (now Shasta-Phoenix).

The Korshak Collection is an exploration of illustrative art. It is also a glimpse into the history of images produced for the science fiction, fantasy, horror, and adventure genres of literature. The illustrations originally appeared on the covers and interior pages of timeless novels such as Tarzan by Edgar Rice Burroughs and classic pulp magazines from the 1930s to the 1960s, such as Amazing Stories and Weird Tales. Featuring original artworks by the most celebrated fantasy and fiction illustrators – including Virgil Finlay, Frank Frazetta, and the Brothers Hildebrandt – the Collection is recognized as a compilation of some of the greatest fantasy masterpieces ever produced.

Illustrations of Imaginative Literature: The Korshak Collection opens on Friday, September 22, with a Community Reception, 6:30–8 pm. Free of charge to the public, the Reception will feature an informal gallery talk and tour by famed illustrator Michael Whelan, whose work will be on display. Space is limited, so RSVP here.

I'm excited to be doing a livestream podcast / interview tomorrow with Bobby Chiu, concept artist and founder of Schoolism.

The interview is set for Tuesday, 3pm EST, 12:00 noon PDT, and if you catch the Twitch stream, you can ask questions. If you miss the live stream, you can probably access the interview on YouTube later.

Sunday, August 27, 2017

At the Dutchess County Fair this weekend, I find a Southdown ewe lamb that could make a good model. She's wearing a coat to keep her clean after being slick shorn and washed. (Link to video on YouTube)

The limited palette of gouache includes white, yellow ochre, ultramarine blue, purple, and red. I skip the drawing stage and dive right in with the brush, working out the big shapes immediately.

The great thing about gouache is that if I find a mistake in my reckoning, I can easily fix it as I go.

The painting takes a little over an hour, compressed into about a minute of time in the time lapse sequence above.

I'm using a new camera, the mirrorless Canon EOS M6, which has a built-in time lapse function.

Saturday, August 26, 2017

Ricky Syers, a puppeteer in his 50s and Doris Diether, a community activist in her 80s, became friends. Ricky made puppet alter egos of each of them, and they perform together in New York parks. Link to video on YouTube

Another video shows more behind the scenes views of making of his marionettes:

Thursday, August 24, 2017

Abram Arkhipov (Russian, 1862-1930) did two versions of his famous paintings of washer-women.

His first version of 1899 came after a tireless search through different wash houses, where he observed the characteristic movements and the quality of light streaming through the window.

Then, at a wash-house in the Smolensk market in Moscow, he noticed an old woman sitting off to the side, her head resting in her hand, and her right arm resting on her knee.

The second picture brings the figures closer and lights them more prominently. He was moved by the spirit of hopelessness and exhaustion, which gave the painting a social message as well as an aesthetic one.

Victoria curated the show, writing the captions, and included many works from her own collection.

It's a small show, but there are watercolors, egg temperas, early self portraits, quick portraits of family members, photographs (many by Vic herself), illustrated letters, items of clothing, and even paintbrushes (He used, among others, Laurut brand kolinsky round mops with quill ferrules).

Monday, August 21, 2017

I love the silhouette shapes of these calla lilies. The trumpet-like white flowers stand out from their surroundings.

I use a variation of the underpainting strategy. I decide to do an overall wash of yellow selectively under the leaves only, not under the flowers. That groups the foliage together as a mass, allowing the flowers to stand out.

Calla lilies, watercolor and gouache, 4 x 7 inches

I allow the area inside the flowers to stay bright white until late in the process, and then I place pale washes of transparent watercolor over them.

Saturday, August 19, 2017

He said: "They should go to Nature in all singleness of heart, and walk with her laboriously and trustingly, having no other thought but how best to penetrate her meaning; rejecting nothing, selecting nothing, and scorning nothing."

I take that advice to mean willfully discarding the idea of improving on nature, and translating what I see into paint as faithfully as possible.

I soon discover that painting every detail is impossible. As Ruskin points out, individual leaves can rarely be seen apart from the others, given all the overlapping and cast shadows. Plus, there are tens of thousands of tiny forms, and those forms morph from moment to moment, and from day to day. (I spend four consecutive mornings on the painting).

Instead, the character of the masses of leaves has to be reinvented in terms of paint.

The making of this painting is the main segment of my new video, "Flower Painting in the Wild."

Friday, August 18, 2017

"Flower Painting in the Wild" is now available, and today only it's 10% off Buy now
(scroll down for more links). Here's what the reviewers are saying:

“Who doesn't love to sit in a garden? Translucent and highly chromatic, flowers are the most challenging subjects to render in the studio. Put them in a mass outdoors in flickering light, moving in a gentle breeze...even the most accomplished plein air painter will head for the hills instead. James Gurney takes you with him to observe and paint on a larger panel as well as his iconic sketchbook pages. Practical, erudite and charming, James shows you how he integrates that devilish chartreuse leaf green into his impressionistic paintings of flowers on site. Watch him create a formally satisfying composition while only selecting details that are botanically relevant. He also puts it all in philosophical context, quoting Ruskin no less, that urges you to go outside to smell, see and paint the roses!”
—Elissa Gore, Landscape Painting Instructor, New York Botanical Garden
"Set at the New York Botanical Gardens, you get to see how an artist tackles the complexity of nature. With shifting light, wind blowing and pedestrians passing by Gurney does an elegant painting. Taking the time to see the structure of the flower, Gurney develops the painting to a high level of finish. The combination of his ability to understand solid depictions of light and form as well as structure and brush handling, make this video a joy to watch for every level of artist. Whether you are just starting out or have mastered your own technique, to behold a fresh alla prima painting in plein air is a treat for any artist. Gurney filmed the video himself which gives it a raw, personal touch. I highly recommend it and look forward to viewing others in the future.”
—Michael Klein, East Oaks Studio
"With this DVD James Gurney provides the viewer an excellent opportunity to learn about flower painting in a natural setting while paying keen attention to different shapes and light, general value and color in nature, and how to bring them all together in a finished painting. He demonstrates not only the painting techniques but gives also information about the surrounding environment and how to engage with the public while painting. Gurney is a master at explaining how to handle clustered masses of plant parts, without absolute delineation of detail so that one’s mind is inspired to build the final picture."
—Mervi Hjelmroos-Koski, Ph.D., D.Sc., Manager of School of Botanical Art & Illustration, Denver Botanic Gardens

"Flower Painting in the Wild" is another excellent video from James Gurney, particularly if you're interested in casein paint. Using casein in most segments, he paints several varieties of flowers, demonstrating its opacity and versatility. As in his previous video demonstrations, solid technique, sharp and useful video images, and Gurney's obvious humility and good-humor make this a must for the student of painting. Highly recommended.”
—Gary Hoff
“The video is a great way to learn painting flowers outdoors in any medium.”—Eleinne Basa

Wednesday, August 16, 2017

Over the last two decades, Todd McFarlane has made a name for himself as both an artist and a businessman, creating the comic character Spawn, the artist-controlled publisher Image, and a popular line of detailed action figures. In this interview he shares the keys to his success. (Link to YouTube)

Tuesday, August 15, 2017

In the last 20 seconds of a YouTube video, you can offer the viewer the chance to click on other videos, playlists, websites, or the Subscribe button, using their "end screen" options.

In this behind-the-scenes video I show how to make a reusable gizmo to make that end screen segment more interesting and to encourage viewers to click those links. (Link to video on YouTube).

The panels flip into position before being superimposed with the link options. The movement of the panels is powered by mousetrap springs. It's cheap and easy to build, and it's completely customizable to the style of your channel.

Monday, August 14, 2017

Betty-Jane Moss asks:Would you advise using different brushes for the different kinds of water-based paints (casein, gouache and the transparent watercolor)?﻿

Betty-Jane, the quick answer is yes: If you're painting in casein, use only synthetics; don't use natural hair brushes (bristles or sables) because the ammonia in the paint can be hard on the fibers. If you're using gouache or watercolor, you can use any kind of synthetic or natural brush.

I usually carry a mix of flat and round brushes, but the ones I use most are a 3/4" and 1/2" flat and a #10 synthetic watercolor round.

There are a lot of other brands available, everything from very expensive Kolinsky brushes to cheap brush sets from big box craft stores.

I don't think you have to spend large amounts of money. I find a good brush, I buy a few extras to have on hand. I've found brushes of acceptable quality at the big box craft stores for very reasonable prices, but you have to check them out. What you want to look for are brushes that have good spring or snap, not floppy. The brush should come to a fine point — or edge in the case of a flat. That way you can use a fairly large brush to paint your picture.Natural hair brushes
If you're using watercolor or gouache, you can use natural hair brushes. I like sable flat brushes, such as: 1/2-inch and 3/4-Inch size, and I use them especially for laying down big washes. The sable flats hold more water usually don't hold as sharp an edge as the synthetics.

For laying bigger washes and wetting the paper, a Cat's Tongue Wash Brush is a good tool. It has a flattened ferrule similar to a filbert brush.

Sunday, August 13, 2017

Ivan Kramskoi's Christ in the Desert (1872) is more than just an illustration from the Bible. It uses the story of Christ's sojourn in the wilderness to comment on personal and contemporary concerns.

Kramskoi (Russian, 1837-1887) wrote: "Influenced by a variety of things, I have come to a very distressing understanding of life, and I clearly see that there is a moment in every man's life...when he is in doubt: whether to go to the right or to the left This, then, is not Christ. Or rather, I don't know who it is. It is an expression of my own ideas...Christ is alone and tormented by doubts: should he go to the people, teach them, suffer and perish, or should he yield to temptation and give it all up."

The critics of the old guard did not receive the painting warmly, accusing the artist of distorting the scripture and expressing anti-religious feelings. But the younger artists embraced the vision. Tolstoy said, "This is the best Christ I know."
-----
From the book Fifty Russian Artists, published by Raduga Publishers, Moscow